Friday, August 12, 2016

Blog Tour: Midnight Soul by Kristen Ashley ~ Review & Giveaway

Against his will, Noctorno Hawthorne, an undercover vice cop, finds himself embroiled in magic, mayhem and parallel universes. Too late, he meets an amazing woman only to find she’s destined for his identical twin in another world.

And things aren’t going real great there.

Noc is recruited to help save that world.

What he doesn’t know is his destined love resides there.

Franka Drakkar wears a mask. A mask she never takes off to protect herself in a world of malice, intrigue and danger.

When Franka meets Noc and he discovers her secrets, convinced she carries a midnight soul, having shielded herself from forming bonds with anyone, she struggles with accepting his tenderness and care.

When Noc meets Franka, over wine and whiskey, her masks slips and Noc knows it’s her—only her—and he has to find a way to get her to come home with him.

And don’t miss the first books in the Fantasyland series!

Kristen Ashley is one of my favorite authors. The romances she writes are phenomenal, and in general her books are just plain addictive. Her Fantasyland in particular has been awesome. The stories are vivid and well-written and full of love. This particular book, the last installment in the Fantasyland series, has been highly anticipated. Honestly, the moment this book landed on my Kindle to review, I dove right in--and what I got in return was a very enjoyable reading experience, just like I can always expect from a KA book.

After gaining a soft spot for Noc that only grew when he showed back up in Broken Dove, I was so excited when I heard there was going to be a book for Noc. He's a straight-up GOOD guy, and he definitely deserved a time to fully shine. And more than that, he deserved his happy ending. I loved getting to know his character better--and DEEPER--and am incredibly pleased with Noc's story.

Before KA told who was going to be paired with Noc, I originally figured it would be the Circe from the Fantasy world. I don't think I was alone on that, right? So when she said it was actually going to be Franka, I was so surprised. But now, after reading the story, I get it. Franka is actually fabulous. Once given the chance to be her own, unrestrained self, she is easy to like. Plus, she was the perfectly suited partner for Noc.

The romance between Noc and Franka pretty much dominated the story, which made my heart happy. They are a beautiful couple, and I adored seeing them become that couple, and then watching the bond between them strengthen. These are two people that clearly deserved happiness. I loved reading their story to getting it.

As always, Kristen Ashley's writing was fantastic and addictive. I read the first three chapters when the cover was revealed and could not WAIT until the rest of the book was in my hands--and then I read the rest of the book the day it landed on my Kindle. The story didn't drag in the slightest, and an efficient job was done wrapping up the stories of the main characters we've grown to love. The main plot is focused on Noc and Franka, of course, but we got delicious glimpses of all of the previous main characters, along with some of their counterparts (which added up to a fun extra element in this novel).

The only slight issue I had with Midnight Soul was the big issue within the plot. You know, the hurdle the characters had to face to truly end up together, well and happy. It was kind of anticlimactic to me. I wasn't too upset about it while reading, because I truly did enjoy the reading experience I had with this book, but when I reached the end I was somewhat surprised something bigger hadn't happened.

But that was the only thing I can count against the story, and there were so many other elements that made up for it tenfold--the romance, the depth of the characters, how incredibly well-done Franka's adjustment from the Fantasy world to the real world was...I could go on.

Overall, Midnight Soul is an enchantingly romantic addition to Kristen Ashley's Fantasyland series. It's a well-written, beautiful story, and I am so happy with how things turned out for these characters I adore. I'll be over here crossing my fingers for a novella for Valentine sometime... (is it wrong to hope?) ...and basking for my love in this entire series. Honestly, if you haven't given this series a go yet, I strongly recommend you do. All five books are fabulous!

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen's Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing's changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she's blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.